


Thunder

by aratheli



Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: Accidental Cuddling, Bad Weather, F/M, M/M, Tornado, lando is so cute, power outtage
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-09
Updated: 2016-10-09
Packaged: 2018-08-20 09:35:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8244566
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aratheli/pseuds/aratheli
Summary: The fluke of a tornado in Los Angeles brings Rhett to remember the times he and Link had been fathers together.





	

**Author's Note:**

> can you say 4h00 garbage with me

_ ATTENTION _

_ TIME: 2225 _

_ The National Weather Service has issued a tornado warning for lower-central Los Angeles County effective until 11:00 PM.  At 10:06 PM, Doppler Radar indicated a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado.  This storm is near Burbank and northern Glendale.  It is moving S at 22 MPH… _

 

Rhett had no reason to panic.  They had witnessed tornadoes all the time when they were children, and he knew the procedures.  Rhett had done the drills and saw the effects; North Carolina wasn’t the most dangerous, but it was prepared enough.

 

Los Angeles was a different story.

 

After not experiencing a tornado warning in such a long time, Rhett sprinted through his home for emergency supplies anyways.   _ This house is in  _ no _ way equipped for this,  _ Rhett yelled at himself in his head,  _ and neither is anyone else. _  Then he remembered everyone else; his kids were out in the living room with Link’s kids, watching some TV show marathon of theirs when the weather alert interrupted and shook everyone out of their casual get-together behaviour.  Not only that, but Link and Christy were over too, sitting on the peninsula in their kitchen with white wine and soft laughs, last he remembered.  When the breath-sucking alert tone had echoed throughout the room, Rhett only remembered that ringing in his head and the sound of his stool hitting the kitchen tile.

 

“Rhett!” 

 

A hand forcefully turned him around and he was face-to-face with his wife.  She didn’t look panicked as much as she should’ve been; just confused. 

 

“Baby, we’re all going down in the basement.  You don’t need anything in here, let’s go.”  In his sudden haze of anxiety, he had made it to their bedroom and was ripping apart his closet.  Why was he doing that?

 

Jessie was pulling on his arm, and he tried to get back into touch with what was currently happening.  He didn’t need to try hard, though, when a flash outside the bedroom window was only a split-second blinding and a split-second before a penetrative thunder clap shook him out of his funk.  He couldn’t hear himself think as it rolled through their home.

 

Out in the kitchen, the wine glasses, TV, popcorn, remotes, blankets, stools...everything was lifeless and abandoned.  Rhett nearly wanted to yell at them to take cover, but could only watch as they passed him by as he was nearly dragged to the basement door.  

 

Down the stairs, voices were clammering around.  There was a panicked scream and some whimpering, followed by a dual-hushing produced from the parents of the youngest.  Upon seeing the children being safe and okay (minus Lando), Rhett came back to his senses. 

 

“Hey, it’s okay, buddy,” Link was saying to his son.  “It’s just thunder.  Can’t hurt ya.”

 

“Dad, I thought you said there weren’t tornadoes in California!”  Locke tried to sound angry, but it just came off as ditzy excitement and nervousness.  He was smiling, and so was Shepherd, so it couldn’t be that bad.

 

A blanket was thrown at him.  “Get comfy,” Jessie was saying from the closet under the stairs. 

 

“Right,” Rhett replied.  “Here, Lando, you can hide if you want.  But we’ll take care of you.”  He handed the blanket to Christy, who thanked him and wrapped up her youngest tight.  

 

“All right, against the wall,” Jessie commanded, emptying their little bunker and kicking the last of the spare pillows and blankets to the bunch in front of her.  “It won’t be long, but just try to relax.”

 

Rhett scooted up between Link and Shepherd.  Locke’s “wisdom” had seemingly worn off of Shepherd and he showed his father nothing but fear.  “Hey, Shep,” Rhett consulted, pulling the boy onto his lap.  “Just like at home, remember?  We’ll be fine.”

 

Jessie sat down in front of the two and handed Shepherd a decorative pillow.  “Hold on that if you’re scared.”

 

Another boom rattled through the house, this time knocking a book off the bookshelf adjacent to them.  Lando screamed.

 

Link was holding him, and Christy was smoothing out his hair.  “It’s okay.  It’s okay, shh…”

 

Rhett looked at Lando and smiled.  “We’re gonna be fine, bud.”

 

Link noticed that Rhett’s counselling was working, as Lando was now only quivering, so he nudged himself closer to Rhett.  Their shoulders now together and their faces a foot apart.  Rhett’s mind decided to wander and visit all the times he and Link had taken care of all five kids like a couple, and how he observed the situations from afar sometimes to take note of how it would be to be a father with Link.  This current moment of intimacy they were sharing was growing heavy on his chest.  

 

By the time Lando had buried his face into his father’s chest, the power flicked three times, and then off.  Rhett could’ve sworn he heard Shepherd let out a little cry, but his brother seemed to be talking him out of being scared.  Pitch-black in the space now, he understood that the hotness in his cheeks had to be coming from Link’s breath.  

 

Jessie’s phone light came on and put the spotlight on every face.  When it came to her husband’s, she leaned in and whispered, “You’re such a great helper,” and smooched him on the cheek.  She then added; “45 more minutes to sit here.  I’ve got the weather on my phone.  I’m gonna sit by Christy.”

He must’ve mumbled “okay”, but all he could feel was Link’s shoulder and how warm it was.  A flick of hair brushed up against his cheek, and he knew who it belonged to.  The sensation itself his heart fluttered on, and he let out a long breath.  If he could see, he would be reminded of how tender and loving his best friend was, just by the looks on his face and the softness of his eyes. 

 

And then he was nearly in kissing distance with a six-year-old fist clinging onto a sweater of soft green material that his cheek was pressed into.  Rhett recognised it; his cheek was in the same position.

 

Rhett stilled and waited; there was light.  The power was back.  No one was talking.  What time was it?  It was quiet; the storm must’ve passed.  

 

As much as Rhett didn’t want to get up, his back protested, and he heaved until he was no longer drooling on his best-friend’s sweatshirt.  He’ll blame it on Lando.

 

Everyone had seemingly passed out from exhaustion at some time during the night that they didn’t notice the lights coming on.  Jessie and Christy were curled up in balls clutching a pillow with Lily in between them; Lincoln laid on his mom’s side.  Lando was snug into Link’s sweatshirt as Rhett had been, and Link was slumped against the wall snoring.  Shepherd had moved out of his lap at some point and slid down to the floor next to the feet of Locke.  

 

Before moving to put a blanket around his wife and Christy, he might’ve ran his fingers through Link’s hair in a small coax to wake up.  He might’ve also wanted Link to stay asleep and stay.

  
  
  



End file.
